I Will Find You
by Belle McGrath
Summary: "He came home last night, right?" Wrong. It all started with the night someone took things too far. Now, months later, Ponyboy is nowhere to be found. This is the story of a father's grief, a young boy, and his brothers, determined to find him before it's too late.
1. Prologue

**A/N: WHO MISSED ME?! I am officially back to writing after an absence of almost a year! I hope you enjoy this new story! This new story is vaguely inspired by the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, so if you notice some vague similarities, now you know! Please leave a review letting me know what you think! Belle x**

XxX

 _November 9, 1965_

Everything is all set, the man thought in contentment as he admired his work. A grim smile peaked on his face as he started up the steps to the ground floor. Everything was ready.

All he needed was the boy.

XxX

"You were scared."

"Was NOT."

"Oh, 'cause you soooo did not squeal like a little girl!"

"Did NOT."

Ponyboy, Two-Bit and Steve were walking home from the drive-in, and Two-Bit and Steve had made it their mission to make Ponyboy admit he had been scared of the movie they had just seen. Darry and Sodapop were both working late, and Darry had put the two older boys on "baby-sitting duties". At least, that's what Two-Bit called it. Said boy's car had broken down (again), so they'd just walked to the Nightly Double. Once there, Steve had insisted on seeing "The Beach Girls and the Monster", some kind of low-budget horror flick that was playing on the side where the opening in the fence allowed them to sneak in. Two-Bit had rolled along, since anything with the word "Girls" in it sounded good to him and Ponyboy had agreed, not wanting to admit to Steve that he hated horror flicks. It was almost half past eight when the movie was over. Usually, the greasers would have slipped into the second screening, but it was a school night, and Darry would positively skin them if Ponyboy was not home when he got out of work. So the boys strolled along the sidewalk, as slowly as they could, kicking rocks with their beat-up sneakers as they went. It took them a good thirty minutes to reach Steve's place, their first stop on the way home.

"You going to school tomorrow, Stevie?" Two-Bit called as they parted ways.

"Might as well. Got nothing better to do," Steve replied.

"See you tomorrow then!" Two-Bit called again. "Sweet dreams, my lady!"

"Kiss your Mom 'night for me!" Steve called back smartly as the screen door slammed shut behind him. Two-Bit turned to the smaller boy next to him.

"Race you back to my place?" he challenged him. Ponyboy smirked. Two-Bit could be so brainless sometimes. He was a track champion, after all. Ponyboy bolted before Two-Bit could do anything.

"Hey! I didn't say go!" Two-Bit called, struggling to catch up as the young cheetah turned the corner in front of him. "Get back here or I'll kill you!" he shouted, but by the time Two-Bit stopped in front of his driveway, completely out of breath, Ponyboy was already a small, dark figure at the end of the road.

"Son of a bitch!" Two-Bit shouted at him.

"See you tomorrow, Two-Bit!" Ponyboy shouted back joyfully, his voice echoing in the darkness of the night before he disappeared left toward the Curtis house. Two-Bit shook his head and couldn't help but laugh as he started up the driveway to his house. Through the window up front, he could see Kathy, plopped unceremoniously on the couch, the light of the television casting strange shadows on his sister's face. He didn't notice the Mustang that drove behind his back in the street and took the same, exact left turn that Ponyboy had taken.

XxX

Ponyboy had slowed down to a walk as he struggled to regain his breath. He really, really had to quit smoking, he thought to himself as he reached for a cigarette in the pack he carried in his back pocket. He was still a bit shaken by the movie, nothing a good smoke wouldn't handle. He reached for his lighter and held it up to the stick in his mouth until the tip of it began glowing. He let out a sigh of relief, smoke escaping through his lips at the same time. He was stuffing his lighter back into his pocket when he heard the sound of a car, turning the corner. He looked over his shoulder, but the headlights prevented him from seeing what type of car it was. He had taken about ten more steps before he realized something was up. The car was driving really slow, at least twenty miles under the speed limit. He looked back once more, and as the car grew closer and closer, he saw clearly the galloping silver horse just above the car's bumper. His heart picked up the pace, as he realized this car definitely didn't belong anywhere in this neighborhood. He turned back around as casually as possible, but began to walk a little faster. The car picked up the speed as well. He was being followed. He forced himself to stay calm as a million scenarios rushed into his head. His home was barely a block away. If he ran fast enough, he could make it. Darry and Sodapop were probably home by this time. There was always the risk that the car would cut in front of him, but he had to try it. He looked behind his shoulder, and through the dashboard, he was able to see the vague shape of a large man behind the steering wheel. He stood no chance against a man this size. Without warning, he turned around and started running as fast as he could. He heard the car behind him picking up speed as well but he dared not to look back.

He reached the fence in front of his house within thirty seconds, the Mustang hot on his heels. Sodapop and Darry were not home yet. He had barely made it through the fence that the man had gotten out of his car, jumped over the hood with surprising agility and was now running behind the greaser. Ponyboy climbed the steps to the front porch, yanked the door open, but the man stopped the door before Ponyboy could close it behind him and lock himself to safety. He pushed on the door with all his might, but the man was stronger. In his panic, the thought of his father's shotgun dawned on him. His father always kept a gun in his bedside table in case he needed to fight off an intruder. He never loaded it, but he sure could bluff his way out of situations. It was Ponyboy's last hope. He let go of the door and the man came crashing through, the door slamming roughly on the wall behind him. Before the man could get back on his feet again, Ponyboy had darted across the hall and into his parents's room. He yanked the first drawer of the bedside table, and reached for the black shotgun, his hands trembling with adrenaline. He had no time to look for bullets. He was just going to have to bluff it. As the man entered the room, Ponyboy flipped around and held the gun at arm's length, hoping the man wouldn't notice his clumsiness with a firearm and his trembling hands.

"St-stay back!" he stuttered in what was meant to be a threat, but his voice broke in the middle of the sentence.

The man stopped in his tracks, but didn't look bothered by the gun in the slightest. He smiled.

"You're not gonna shoot me," the man said calmly.

"What makes you so sure?" Ponyboy asked, the gun sliding slowly through his sweaty palms.

"Because the gun is not loaded," the man replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Ponyboy shivered.

"Y-yes it is," he replied, but his voice had threatened him. The man smirked, he reached for his side and took out a silver shotgun of his own.

"This one, however, is loaded," he added calmly as he raised the barrel. "So if you want to stay alive, I suggest you drop your little act right now and do as I say."

Ponyboy felt his courage falter, but he refused to go down without a fight.

"I don't believe you," he said, his voice faltering as he said it.

The man smiled grimly. He pulled the trigger and a bullet went flying out with a deafening explosion. Ponyboy cringed as the bullet flew right next to his ear and lodged itself into the wall behind him. The man casually re-loaded the gun and pointed it back toward the boy.

"Drop the gun," he stated firmly.

The little courage Ponyboy had left in him had evaporated. He let his father's gun drop to his feet with a loud thud. The man crossed the room in two strides, kicked the gun away and yanked the boy by an arm. He planted the barrel of his gun in Ponyboy's side.

"Walk," he ordered in the boy's ear, his breath making Ponyboy's skin crawl.

Somehow, Ponyboy's legs held on as he took one step forward, then another. He awkwardly shuffled back through the house, out the door, which the man carefully closed behind him. They made it back to the man's car like that, and as he reached the backseat, Ponyboy felt the cool metal of the gun leave his side. He let out a small breath he didn't know he had been holding, but the relief was short-lived. He felt the hard, painful blow to his head as the man slammed the barrel of his gun into Ponyboy's scalp. That was the last thing he remembered before his knees gave out under him and he fell into an unwelcome darkness.


	2. The Vanishing

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the second chapter for you! As I'm posting this, I'm at the airport on my way to New York City for the weekend! I will be quite busy, but I'm hoping to post another chapter very soon! I'm boarding in a few minutes, so I didn't have time to fully proof-read this chapter, so I apologize in advance for any grammatical mistakes. Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review letting me know what you think! x**

XxX

 _November 10, 1965_

It was almost eight o'clock. The late autumn sun was slowly rising over the city of Tulsa. Sodapop was fixing breakfast, being the first one up, singing off-tune along to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" playing on the radio. Darry, on the other hand, was making a racket, looking for God-knows-what.

"Soda, have you seen my car keys?" he called from the living room.

"Didn't you leave them in the truck?" Soda called back.

Darry paused. He frowned, trying to remember. He'd arrived so late last night he had barely had the strength to pull himself out of his car and into his bed. Sodapop heard the screen door slam, footsteps going down the porch steps, then, seconds later, Darry erupting back into the house.

"Got them!" he said, walking into the kitchen. "I left them on the dash. I've got to get going, I'll grab something to eat on the way to work. Where's Pony?"

"Still sleeping," Sodapop answered. "Could you wake him up? Breakfast is ready."

Darry went out into the hall toward Ponyboy's closed bedroom door.

"Ponyboy!" he called "Rise and shine, breakfast is rea—"

He froze. He had pushed Ponyboy's bedroom door open. The bed was empty. The entire room was empty, in fact. Darry peeked into the bathroom, but it was also empty.

"Pony?" he called. He heard Sodapop stopping all activity in the kitchen, listening. No answer.

"He came home last night, right?" Darry asked Sodapop as he walked back into the kitchen.

"He's not in his room?" Sodapop asked, eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Did he come home or not?" Darry asked, his eyes glaring dangerously.

"I don't know," Sodapop answered slowly.

"You don't know?" Darry repeated in disbelief.

"I got home late from work, and his door was closed. I figured he was already asleep and I didn't wanna wake him up so I went to sleep in my room," Sodapop mumbled, visibly embarrassed. "Maybe he stayed over at Two-Bit's after the drive-in?"

Darry pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"I can't believe that boy, sometimes," Darry growled. He reached the telephone in three strides and dialled Two-Bit's number. After two rings, Kathy's voice came into the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Kathy? It's Darry," Darry said.

"Oh, hi Dar. You wanna talk to Two-Bit?" she asked.

"No, it's not necessary. Listen, did Ponyboy spend the night?"

"Pony? No… He's not home?" she asked, perplexed.

"You know what? I think he just left early for school, nothing to worry about," Darry answered, feeling his heart sink in his chest. "Bye, Kathy."

"Bye, Dar."

He hung up. Darry and Sodapop exchanged a look. Ponyboy was nowhere to be found.

XxX

Darry never thought he would see Chief James Harrison again under those circumstances. Harrison was the officer on duty that fateful February night and he was the one who knocked on the Curtis's front door to break them the news that something terrible had happened to their parents. Chief Harrison was a good man. Middle-class, middle-aged, and widowed. He did love his beer bottles, but his heart was in the right place. He had helped what was left of the Curtis family in any way that he could. He had driven Darry to the morgue to identify the bodies, and he had testified in his favor when the young man applied to get custody of his brothers. After the whole ordeal, Chief Harrison thought, or at least hoped, he would never have to see them again, at least not while he was on duty. That's why it came as a huge surprise to him when he walked into the police station that morning and his secretary told him as she handed him a few case files:

"Darrel Curtis can't find his younger brother this morning. I sent him straight into your office."

He frowned.

"Which one?"

"The youngest," the lady answered.

Chief Harrison sighed, stuffed the files under his arm, and crossed the hallway toward his office.

Darrel Curtis stood up as soon as he saw the man walk in. He looked jumpy, his features were drawn in worry. Chief Harrison held out his hand and shook the young man's firmly.

"Darrel. Sorry to see you again under those circumstances," the sheriff said calmly. "Have you been waiting for long?"

"About twenty minutes. Nothing to worry about," Darry answered, settling down into his seat as Chief Harrison sat on the opposite side of the desk. The sheriff reached for his typewriter and began typing. _Incident: Missing._

"Now, when did you first notice he was missing?" Chief Harrison asked.

Darry bit his lip, visibly embarrassed.

"This morning. Sodapop and I were both working late, so Ponyboy went to the drive-in with our friends, Steve and Keith. We came home and his bedroom door was closed, so we both went to bed, but he wasn't in his room this morning."

"How old is he?" Chief Harrison asked.

"Fourteen," Darry answered.

"A boy his age… is there any chance that he might just be playing hooky?" the sheriff asked.

"No," Darry answered categorically. "Not Pony. He just ain't like that. He doesn't care much for girls yet."

Chief Harrison stopped typing to look at the oldest Curtis intently.

"Are you absolutely certain he wouldn't hop into a backseat with some girls at the drive-in?"

"Positive," Darry answered even more firmly. "He's not like that. He's not like most, you know."

"Do you know him to have any enemies?" Chief Harrison asked, barely looking up as he typed the details on his typewriter.

Darry sighed, frowning.

"Well, I mean, you already know about our relationship with the kids from the west side. He's already quite vulnerable since he's a greaser and he looks the part at that, but aside from those kids, I can't think of anyone."

Chief Harrison nodded. The never-ending brawl between the Socs and the greasers was well-known to the entire police station. They'd tried everything to put a stop to it, but there was nothing to be done about those kids. There were too many differences between them, I guess.

"He's a good kid. Not a troublemaker. He's real sensitive and all," Darry added. He swallowed back a small lump in his throat. He didn't know why he said it, but he felt like the police needed to know this. That Ponyboy was not just another greaser who jumped rich kids and robbed gas stations. Ponyboy was better than that.

"When's the last time you heard from Steve and Keith?" Chief Harrison asked, raising his eyes to meet Darry's.

"I saw Steve last night when he came to pick up Pony, and I talked to Two-Bit's sister this morning," Darry answered.

"Why don't you give me their number—" Chief Harrison asked, picking up a piece of paper. Darry frowned. He knew what the officer was talking about.

"No, Harrison, listen, they have nothing to do with this, trust me," Darry started.

"Darrel," Chief Harrison said, putting his pen down. "I need you to understand something very important. I've dealt with missing child cases for almost twenty-five years now. In the grand majority of cases, when a kid goes missing, the kid is with a parent, a relative, or a family friend."

"Not this time," Darry answered defensively "You've gotta trust me on this, Harrison. Steve has been Soda's best friend since kindergarten, and both of them are like family to us. I trust them more than I trust anybody in this station, to be completely honest with you."

Chief Harrison looked up, almost in surprise. Darry was getting defensive. Nobody could accuse Steve or Two-Bit without Darry having a word or two about it.

"Alright, I believe you," Chief Harrison surrendered. "I'll just go up to the school later to see if they know anything that could help us."

Darry nodded.

"I don't care about that. Just find my brother."


	3. The Bullet in the Wall

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you to all of those who reviewed! I'm sorry I didn't take the time to reply to all of them. I was in New York City at the time, but I am back home in Canada and will start answering directly to you guys from now on. Hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a bit difficult to write but I'm satisfied with the outcome. Please leave a review letting me know what you think! x**

XxX

Two-Bit and Steve were both dozing off slowly in the back of their classroom. Their Science teacher, Mr. Connors, was trying in vain to keep the teenagers interested on his speech on the different forms of science investigation when a voice came into the intercom, interrupting him.

"Mr. Connors? Sorry to interrupt, may I have Steve Randle and Keith Matthews at the office please?" said the secretary's cheerful voice.

"Keith…" Mr Connors mumbled under his breath, frowning in confusion. It took him a moment to realize that she was talking about Two-Bit, whom even the teachers knew by his nickname. "Yes, of course." he answered, nodding towards the boys. Both boys jumped out of their chairs and bolted out of the door, ignoring the students who hooted and laughed as they walked out. They were used to going to the principal's office by now, and whatever it meant, it was better than Sciences.

XxX

"What the hell are you talking about? He's missing?" Steve barked angrily at the police officer.

Chief Harrison and his partner, Deputy Kelly, were sat into the principal's office when both boys walked in. Mr. Knight, the principal, was there too, and Two-Bit and Steve had barely had time to sit in the chairs across the room from the officers when the men broke down the news to them.

"Darry told my sister he'd just left early for school!" Two-Bit added, obviously as confused as Steve.

"Look, it hasn't been twenty-fours hours yet," Chief Harrison answered in what was meant to be a reassuring tone, but that the greasers wrongly interpreted as condescending. "If someone took him, he can't have gone far. We'll find him."

"Why are you here instead of looking, then?" Steve snapped. "You guys think we got something to do with this or something?"

Chief Harrison stared at Steve intently.

"No, Darrell has assured us that both of you a trust-worthy," he answered. "We need to talk to you because you guys are the last people who saw Ponyboy before he disappeared, and if there's anything you can tell us, we might be able to get some leads."

Steve sighed and slouched back into his seat. He hated the idea of cops getting meddled into their business. Last time that happened, Dally had ended up killed, but if Darry trusted the guy, Steve would tell him whatever he knew, despite his reluctance.

"Keith," Chief Harrison continued. "Maybe you could start by telling us where you guys went last night and which road you guys took to get home?"

Two-Bit cleared his throat. The sound of his real name made him cringe, but he didn't dare say anything about it.

"We went to the Nightly Double," Two-Bit answered. "We took East Admiral to get home. Me and Steve both live on North Utica, so Ponyboy takes the bridge from there and takes a left on Independence Street. He lives right on the corner. so it's pretty direct. I can show you if you want."

"No need," Chief Harrison answered as Deputy Kelly wrote down everything Two-Bit said on paper. "We know where you're referring to."

"We could help look," Steve added. Two-Bit nodded vigorously in approval.

"No," Chief Harrison answered firmly, his eyes suddenly glaring. "We don't know if whoever took Ponyboy is gonna attack somebody else, or if he's following a pattern. For all we know, you guys could be next. After school, I want both of you to go home immediately, and stay there. That means no running around looking for your friend, no investigating, no bullshit. This ain't some Naked City re-run. Do I make myself clear?"

Steve scoffed. Two-Bit did the same. That guy had some nerve to think they were just going to sit there and let police officers look for Ponyboy. They knew the drill. They were greasers. All it took was for something to happen on the west side and all the searches would be dropped instantly. No one cared about them.

"Do I make myself clear?" Chief Harrison repeated in a low voice, having received no response from either of them.

"Fine," Steve finally answered, not fazed in the slightest by the officer's stance. "But I want the whole police department lookin' all over town for the kid, or else we'll get some of our friends to do that for you."

Chief Harrison knew that was the best affirmation he was going to get. He signalled to Deputy Kelly and they stood up, collecting his things.

"Don't worry," Chief Harrison said as he walked out of the principal's office. "We'll do everything in our power."

"And we'll do everything out of it," Steve replied sharply.

XxX

"Social Services, how may I help you?"

"Hi, is Mrs. Dawson around?"

"Who is this?"

"This is Darrell Curtis. I have legal custody of my two brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy. Mrs. Dawson is in charge of our case. Listen, I really need to speak to her, it's ab-"

"Mrs. Dawson's in a meeting right now, she's unavailable."

"Can you please tell her to answer the phone? It's an emergency."

"No, I can't do that, sorry. You can call back later if you want to speak to Mrs. Dawson."

"No, not later, now-"

The line went dead on the other side. The secretary had hung up. Darry slammed the phone back into the receiver angrily.

"Bitch!" he shouted.

"Dar…" Sodapop's voice came behind him.

"What?" he snapped, a little bit harsher than he had intended.

"You gotta stay calm, alright? How 'bout you try calling her direct number? She gave it to you a few months ago, didn't she?" Sodapop suggested.

Darry didn't answer. In his fury, he refused to admit that his brother just had a good idea. He rummaged through the D section of the address book next to the phone until he found Mrs. Dawson's number at her office. He dialled it as quickly as he could, cursing the numerous zeros in the number, but after six rings, he had to face it. Mrs. Dawson was not in her office.

"Damn it!" he cursed again as he slammed the poor phone back into the receiver for the second time.

"Dar?" Soda called.

"What is it, now?" Darry asked, exasperated.

"Cops," Soda said. Darry jumped out of his chair and ran to the front window. Indeed, a police car had just parked in front of their driveway and Chief Harrison along with a deputy Darry had never seen before were getting out of the car. Darry's heart began to race as he ran out the door and onto the front porch.

"Did you find anything?" he called eagerly. Sodapop had followed him and he was standing behind Darry's shoulder, eyes glistening with hope.

Chief Harrison shook his head. Soda's face aged ten years instantly.

"We went up to the school to question your friends." Chief Harrison explained. "They told us the way they took to get home. We searched all up and down the streets, and nothing. No leads whatsoever."

Darry's heart sank.

"Why are you here, then?" Darry asked.

"He had a key to the house, right?" Chief Harrison asked.

"Yeah," Darry answered, not daring to tell the cops he always kept the front door unlocked, figuring "hoods might need a place to crash" was not something they wanted to hear.

"So, maybe he came home," Chief Harrison explained.

Darry stared at him, dumb-founded as the officers stepped around him, entered the house and began looking around.

"You think I didn't check my own house?" Darry said almost defensively as both he and Sodapop followed them indoors.

"No one said that," Chief Harrison answered, distracted by the door handle. "Has this always been there?" he asked, motioning to an indentation in the wall behind the door, levelled with the door handle. Darry frowned.

"I don't know," he answered, put on the spot. "Probably. I mean, we're three boys, look at this place."

Chief Harrison didn't comment. Darry and Sodapop stood around uncomfortably as the officers rummaged through the kitchen, then the bedrooms. Darry was about to tell them off when the deputy opened the door to his parents's bedroom when the deputy suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Chief," he called behind his shoulder. "I got something."

Chief Harrison emerged from Ponyboy's bedroom as both Curtis boys hurried in the hallway towards the same spot. Both officers walked into the room and Darry and Sodapop followed them in. What they all saw shocked them.

"Is this yours?" Chief Harrison asked, pointing to the gun on the floor. Darry was speechless.

"It's my dad's," he said, unable to keep his eyes off the gun. "Both him and me are licensed to carry. He kept it in his bedside table, but he never loaded it."

"Are you sure?" Chief Harrison asked.

"What? Wh-" Darry started. He looked up to Chief Harrison and he saw what the cop was motioning to. There was a bullet hole in the wall in front of him. Sodapop gasped.

"What the hell…?" Darry muttered in disbelief.

"I'm assuming this wasn't here before?" Chief Harrison turned to him.

"I-I… No…" Darry responded slowly, staring blankly at the hole in the wall, completely in shock.

"What does this mean?" Soda asked in a small voice that was very out-of-character for him. Chief Harrison turned to him.

"Well, there's definitive sign of a struggle here," he said. "I can't make any official conclusions, but what I think happened is that somebody followed Ponyboy from the drive-in and waited until he was alone to chase after him. Ponyboy tried using the gun to defend himself, and the bullet is either one from your gun, or, if it doesn't match the kind you have here, from someone else's."

"A kidnapper?" Sodapop suggested.

"Possibly," Chief Harrison nodded. "John, go call the station. Tell them to send CSI over. We need get that bullet out of the wall for evidence. And tell Felicity to get a search party together. Get all the volunteers she can get."

Deputy Kelly nodded and left. Chief Harrison instructed the boys out of the room before closing the door behind them.

"We don't want the evidence to get tampered with, so keep out of this room until CSI gets here," he explained to the Curtis brothers. "We'll go back to the station and begin searches all over the county."

"Can't we help?" Soda asked.

"No," Chief Harrison answered firmly. "It's best for you guys to stay here, in case Ponyboy calls or shows up. However, if you can find a recent picture of him, we can use that to make posters and flyers."

Darry could only nod, overwhelmed by the situation, but not willing to show it for Sodapop's sake.

"Alright, I'll be in contact with you tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I suggest both of you try to get some sleep." He looked at Darry. "We'll find him. Don't worry about that."

With that, Chief Harrison tipped his hat to both of the boys and walked out of the Curtis house. Deputy Kelly was waiting for him in the passenger seat of the police car. He finished with Florence on the intercom before Chief Harrison could jump into the driver's seat.

"You think we've got something big here?" Deputy Kelly asked.

Chief Harrison jammed the key into the ignition, his mind elsewhere.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.


	4. The Search Begins

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! This one was a little bit more of a filler, but more action should be expected very soon! Please leave a review letting me know what you think! x**

XxX

"We should be out there right now. We should be looking for him," Sodapop said for what felt like the billionth time to Darry. Both brothers were sitting in front of their barely-eaten plates at the dinner table, waiting anxiously for a knock on the door, a phone call, anything to update them on the situation. Soda could barely stand still as it was, so sitting around and waiting in that situation was more than he could handle.

"Soda, we've been over this," Darry started, forcing a forkful of tasteless mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Chief Harrison said-"

"I don't care what he said!" Sodapop exploded.

"Sodapop, c'mon man! You ain't helping!" Darry said.

"Exactly! We have to do something, Dar! Pony could be in danger!" Soda insisted.

"More reason to stay put," Darry answered. "I won't have anymore of this. Until we get news from Chief Harrison, no one leaves."

"Fuck that, Dar!" Soda banged on the table, making Darry jump. "I'm the only one acting normal here! Am I the only one in this house who cares about him?"

Darry paused, his expression softened.

."Soda, you know that's not true," he said. "I care about him just as much as you do."

"Why don't you prove it, then, huh?" Sodapop asked provocatively before storming out of the dining room, slamming Ponyboy's bedroom door shut.

"Damn it!" Darry shouted, slamming his fist on the table in frustration. He sighed, leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ponyboy was missing, nobody knew where he was, and he was slowly drifting away from Sodapop at the very moment when they needed to stay together and support each other.

XxX

Chief Harrison had been surprised by the amount of volunteers who showed up to help out. Most of them were greasers, off-duty officers, and middle-class families, but the Valance and the Adderson family from the west side were there as well. All in all, about a hundred people showed up at the police station at dusk. The people were soon split into groups and spread out across different sections of town, a supervising deputy with each. Chief Harrison was in charge of group five, who, armed with flashlights, were scanning the woods on the outskirts of town.

"Ponyboy! Ponyboy!"

"Ponyboy Curtis!"

"Ponyboy, we're here for you, bud!"

Everybody was screaming Ponyboy's name at irregular intervals as they walked, scanning the ground.

"He's a good student," came a voice behind Chief Harrison. The officer turned and was met with a middle-aged man with a balding forehead and kind eyes Harrison had never seen before.

"Pardon?" Chief Harrison asked.

"Ponyboy. He's a good student," the man repeated. "Great one, actually."

"I'm sorry. I don't think we've ever met," Chief Harrison asked, giving up at trying to recognize the man.

"Oh, my apologies," the man apologized awkwardly. "I'm Thomas Symes. I teach Sophomore English at Will Rogers. Ponyboy's in one of my classes."

Chief Harrison held out his hand. The man had a firm handshake, and Harrison immediately felt like he could trust him.

"Thanks for coming out, tonight, Mr. Symes. We really appreciate it," Chief Harrison said, a bit mechanically.

"It was the least I could do," Mr Symes answered. "That family's been through so much already, poor kids…"

"Tell me about it…" Chief Harrison mumbled as he went back to his search.

XxX

Sodapop walked back out of Ponyboy's room several hours later, eyes puffy from crying. He slowly peeked into the living room where he found Darry, features drawn and exhausted, rummaging through boxes of pictures, trying to find a most recent picture of Pony.

"Need some help?" Soda asked in a heavy voice that sounded strange for him. Darry jumped at the sound.

"Jesus…" he mumbled under his breath. "Make a sound, or something!" Darry laughed nervously.

Sodapop didn't say anything. He walked out into the living room and out of the darkness of the hallway. That's when Darry was able to see that his brother had been crying. He frowned in even more worry, if that was humanly possible.

"What is it, Pepsi-Cola?" Darry asked, using his old man's affectionate nickname for him.

"Nothing," Soda shrugged, plopping on the couch next to Darry, grabbing a box of pictures and burying himself in them to try to ignore the imminent lump that was forming again in his throat.

"Tell me," Darry insisted. "Come on, Soda, you know you can tell me."

Soda stopped. The lump in his throat was becoming too painful to bear.

"It's just," he started in a choked-up voice as a tear escaped his eye. "I should've been there. I should've just slept with him, maybe then we'd have better chances…"

Darry felt a lump in his own throat as he watched his brother cry, but he swallowed it back. He could save his tears for the pillow. Right now, he needed to be Superman.

"No," Darry said categorically, pressing his hand firmly on Sodapop's shoulder. "You can't do that to yourself, okay? It ain't your fault. We'll find him. I know it's hard to trust the same people who killed Dal, but Chief Harrison ain't like the rest of 'em, yeah? He's a good man. He knows what he's doing, ya dig?"

Soda nodded slowly and wiped his tears hurriedly on his shirt sleeve. Darry took a picture and showed it to him.

"Look at this one," he said. The picture showed Ponyboy on picture day at the beginning of the year, back when Johnny, Dally, and Bob were still alive. It seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a little over two months. Ponyboy was grinning with that awkward smile you do when you have nothing to smile about, but he had neatly greased his hair for the occasion and he looked more polished than the average greaser. Besides, it was the most recent one they had of him.

"That's the one, right?" Darry added. Sodapop nodded and smiled softly.

"I'll go get some posters done at the station tomorrow," Darry continued. "How 'bout you help me pick this up and then we can call at the station to see how the search is going?"

Sodapop nodded again. That sounded good to him.

XxX

Ponyboy came to his senses and was greeted by a searing pain in the back of his head. He winced and tried to reach for the tender skin, but found that both of his hands were restrained with heavy cuffs, both hands chained to a wall behind him. Everything was pitch black around him, to the point where he couldn't even distinguish shapes, and he was freezing cold. He felt light-headed and feverish. He had no idea where he was. He tried to scream, but found his voice muffled by a rough piece of cloth that was shoved in his mouth and kept in by a large piece of tape keeping his lips shut. Any attempt to move the cloth in his mouth made him gag violently, and for a moment of sheer panic, he thought he would suffocate, until he was able to calm down and breathe through his nose. He pulled with all his strength on the chains, but it only resulted in the metal painfully cutting through his wrists. Everything held firmly. He stopped struggling, giving up, his body aching everywhere. He listened for sounds, footsteps, anything that could help him figure out where he was, but he was met with silence. He was left alone, tied up, aching, confused, and wishing wildly for home.


	5. The Missing Poster

**A/N: Long time no see! I apologize for the long absence. As I'm preparing for college, some things require my immediate attention and writing takes the side for a while. Put I am back, and ready to complete this story for you guys! So here it is! Please leave a review letting me know what you think! x**

XxX

 _November 11, 1965_

Sodapop was still awake when the sun began to rise. He had gone to bed in Ponyboy's room, but every time he closed his eyes, images of his little brother, tied up and gagged, came to his mind, making him shiver. Darry had probably crashed in the living room, because Soda didn't hear him go to his room all night. He gave up trying to catch some sleep when the alarm clock read seven, rolled out of bed, still wearing last night's clothes and dragged his feet all the way to the kitchen before mechanically starting to fix breakfast. He peeked into the doorway towards the living room only to find Darry hunched over some papers at the dining room table, he too wearing yesterday's clothes. Judging by the bags under his eyes, he hadn't slept either. Sodapop didn't dare disturb him in what seemed to be an arduous task, so he went back to frying eggs and toasting bread for the two of them, despite knowing that half of it would remain in the plates. He only spoke to Darry when he brought him a plate and a fork.

"Here, Dar," he spoke quietly. "Breakfast is ready."

"Careful with the posters," Darry warned as Sodapop was about to set the plate on one of the papers. With closer inspection, Soda realized what the papers were. All of them were drafts of a "Missing" poster Darry had probably stayed up all night working on. In front of him lay a finished version of those surrounding it, with Ponyboy's picture taped in the middle and all his information marked underneath in Darry's neatest handwriting.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis - Five feet eight inches - 145 pounds - Green eyes - Auburn hair - Last seen wearing a green t-shirt, blue jeans and white Converse sneakers."

Darry stared at the plate with the same look one would use to look upon a rotten piece of meat.

"I can't eat anything…" he sighed, running his fingers through his messy hair.

"Yeah, me neither…" Soda agreed. "But we gotta eat something."

"Listen," Darry continued, ignoring Sodapop's statement. "The Xerox place opens in thirty minutes. I hate to let you go alone, but I think I should be here for when Chief Harrison calls…"

"Yeah, I know," Soda answered, setting his own plate down and sitting down next to his brother. "It's okay. I've got it."

"Okay, we need to make, what, two-hundred copies?" Darry kept on, a little more to himself than to Sodapop. "How much is a copy? Five cents?" He reached for his wallet in his back pocket. "So if we make two-hundred, for five cents each we need, what? Ten bucks?"

Sodapop cringed at that. Ten bucks was approximately two full tanks of gas. That was more than they could afford, but they had no choice. They needed the posters if they were to find their brother.

"Yeah, ten bucks should do," Soda answered, forcing a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Should we do three-hundred instead? I got another five, and maybe I could ask my boss for an advance, but the truck needs gas… Shit, why am I thinking about the truck, of course Ponyboy is more important, let's make three-hundred…"

"Darry," Sodapop said, placing his hand on his brother's forearm. "You can't get like this, alright? I'll stop by the DX to get some gas, then I'll go get the copies. We'll be fine with two-hundred. I'll start spreading them across town anywhere I can, and you do what you have to do, yeah?"

Darry sighed.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry-"

Just then, the phone rang. Darry jumped out of his chair, nearly knocking his plate of food in the process and ran to answer it.

"Hello?" he said in a hopeful tone.

"Darrel? Chief Harrison here. I called as soon as I could. We've been searching all night, went all the way to Windrixville."

"And?" Darry asked.

"Nothing," Chief Harrison answered in an even tone used by bad-news-delivering-professionals Darry knew too well.

"Fuck," Darry swore under his breath. Sodapop's heart sank over at the kitchen table. "What now?"

"Well, we'll keep the searches going, that's for sure," Chief Harrison answered. "I'll keep asking around to try and find any leads. You got the posters ready?"

"Yeah, Soda's gonna distribute them around town."

"Good. Are you gonna be home all day?"

"Well, I need to go ask my boss for an advance, since I gave all my money to Soda for the posters and all," Darry answered uncomfortably. "But aside from that, I should be here."

"Alright," Chief Harrison answered. "Again, one of you should always be home. If Ponyboy can get his hands on a phone, he might try to call home first instead of the cops. I've seen that happen often."

"I'll be here," Darry assured him.

"Alright, well I'd better get going," Chief Harrison announced. "How are you boys holding up?"

"We're fine for now," Darry lied.

"Good. Don't worry, Darrel. We'll find your brother."

Somehow, there was something in Chief Harrison's voice that made Darry believe him.

XxX

"When alpha particles go through gold foil, they become…?" Marcia asked, holding a stack of flash cards as her and Cherry walked up the steps to the front door of Will Rogers High School.

"Unoccupied space," Cherry piped up immediately.

"Correct," Marcia answered, smiling as she placed the card at the back of the large stack they had spent hours doing for their upcoming Chemistry test. "A molecule that can-"

But before she could finish the question, a young man had sneaked up behind her and grabbed the stack of flash cards from her hands.

"I think you've studied enough, ladies. Your brains will start to swell if you keep at it. I've seen it happen to Eloise Miller. Not pretty," he told them, a mischievous smile on his face.

"David!" Cherry snapped, a grin forcing itself on to her face despite all her efforts to look serious. David was joined by Randy and the rest of the gang as they pushed their way into the hall. Despite Bob forever missing from their ranks, Cherry still hung out with them occasionally. She had grown to like them, especially Randy, who at least seemed to have a head on his shoulders.

"I'm telling you, Cherry, you got this," he said, handing the flash cards back to Marcia nevertheless. "On to more important matters. My old man's left town for a business meeting in New York and Mom went along, 'cause she doesn't trust him. So… No parents, big house… you in?"

"A party on a Thursday?" Cherry asked almost in disbelief and Marcia snorted.

"Come on, it'll be low-key," David insisted. "Just us, and a couple of other girls if you can, for good measure."

Cherry opened her mouth to say something, until she remembered. She had spent most of her evening looking for Ponyboy, though she didn't tell anyone. She planned to get back at it when she came home from school, but how could she muster up a good enough excuse to back up of a party at David's? She was just about to mutter something about homework until she saw David look past her towards the notice board next to the front door and give an exaggerated sigh.

"God, that's depressing," he said.

Cherry turned around to see Sodapop Curtis at the other end of the hall. He looked incredibly out of place, having dropped out of school a year ago. He clearly belonged anywhere but in a school. His shirt was ruffled and his eyes were puffy and lined with dark circles. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. He was pinning what looked like a poster, Ponyboy's face smiling back at him as he looked in the corner of the notice board for extra, unused pins.

"Should we say something?" Cherry asked, brows furrowing slightly.

"Filthy dropout like him? I doubt he speaks at all," David said, looking around for approval from the other boys. "I'll bet my dad's car that he killed his stupid brother."

"Shut up, Dave," Randy said over the laughs of the other boys, but Cherry wasn't listening. Something inside of her had ignited with fury at David's words. She crossed the entrance hall in a few strides, head held high and stopped only when she was a few feet from the greaser.

"Hey," she called.

Soda whipped around. Cherry almost gasped. She had seen him before. All the west-side girls made excuses to go get their gas on the east side just to see him. When Cherry had seen him for the first time a few months back, he had looked like a movie star. The difference now was striking. His face was drawn with exhaustion and worry, he looked almost twenty years older and his shoulders were hunched, his eyes empty of life.

"Oh, hey," he answered, recognizing the red-haired Soc almost immediately.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about everything," she said in one breath, barely believing herself. "Everyone's thinking about you guys," she lied. "It sucks."

"Yeah," Sodapop answered simply, looking down at the worn soles of his sneakers.

"I'm sure he's fine," Cherry added, feeling the disapproving eyes of the others prickling at the back of her neck. "He's a smart kid."

Sodapop opened his mouth to say something, but they were interrupted by the bell, ringing the start of first period.

"I have to go," Cherry blurted, slightly relieved at an excuse to end the awkward encounter. "Chemistry test."

"Good luck," Sodapop said mechanically.

"Thanks," she answered before turning on her heels and walking away towards the Science department. She glanced back and as the intercom announced "Attention students, anyone willing to volunteer to help search for Ponyboy Curtis will find sign-up sheets for search parties at the main office," she swore she saw Sodapop wipe his eyes on his flannel sleeve as he pushed the doors leading outside and vanished.


End file.
